A microfiche appendix containing Pascal language source code for specifying the components of an artificial limb consisting of 38 microfiche images on one microfiche card is filed herewith. A portion of the disclosure of the patent document is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owners have no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent & Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to a method of specifying the components of an artificial limb, a method of constructing such an artificial limb, and to apparatus for specifying the components.
An artificial limb comprises many components which must fit together correctly to ensure correct functioning of the limb. Components for a complete limb can be sourced from one or more manufacturers. In many cases, one manufacturer's product range can cover a diverse range of options and can be used with another manufacturer's products in the construction of a single limb. Thus, it can be a complicated and skilled job to select components which permit a limb to perform the required functions and which fit correctly together. Furthermore it is difficult accurately to estimate the cost of a complete limb prior to construction since errors in its specification may not be realised until construction is attempted.